As well as acquiring historic homes, the Hendrick de Keyser Association has some fine modern houses in its collection. We take a closer look at this Dutch institution.

In March, we announced the acquisition of Jan de Jong’s house by Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser, the association for the preservation of historic houses in the Netherlands. Iconic Houses is proud to report that we played a key role in this acquisition, by bringing the house and association together. One Sunday morning in 2015, we visited the Jan de Jong Foundation, taking a member of the Hendrick de Keyser association along with us. The rest, as they say, is history.

The association was established as a private initiative in 1918. A group of Amsterdammers realised that action was necessary to preserve the outstanding architectural heritage of the city, increasingly under threat from neglect, demolition and uncontrolled development. The association they founded, named after the leading sculptor and master builder of the 17th century, the Dutch Golden Age, was soon active nationwide. Its mission: to preserve architecturally and historically important buildings and their interiors.

Today, the association acquires, conserves, restores and rents out historic properties. Buildings acquired by the association have to meet strict criteria. They have to be fine examples of the architecture or the history of a certain period. Much attention is given to the authenticity of the interior. Through its collection of historic houses, Hendrick de Keyser strives to give a complete overview of the architecture, building and interiors history of the Netherlands.

Its collection is rich in diversity and detail: from Dutch Renaissance to Art Deco, from Berlage to the modernist heritage of Rietveld. The collection, which grows by some five to ten buildings each year, now encompasses 416 properties, among them private homes of all sizes, canal houses, manor houses, city gates, country estates, villas, farms, chapels, cottages and city halls, spread over 106 cities and villages.

While increasing numbers of association properties are open to the public, careful conservation remains its main objective. The association has gained considerable expertise in restoration projects and is a leading authority in this field in the Netherlands. Historic layouts and interiors are conserved or restored, whereas modern additions are kept to a minimum. The starting point is respecting the historic integrity of a house, not striving to maximise rental income. Conservation plans include research in archives and in situ.

Increasingly, scientific research into historic decorative painting is being used to establish what a house or an interior used to look like. The association’s income, which allows it to undertake costly maintenance and restoration projects, comes from the longterm letting of its properties, membership fees, legacies and donations, as well as public and private fund raising. Vereniging Hendrick de Keyser is organised as an independent, non-profit charity. Membership is open to all. The association now has about 4,500 members who can enjoy activities such as lectures, visits to properties and guided tours.

From 2013, the association has offered a number of historic buildings as holiday homes for people to get closer to historical architecture. These include some modern houses, one of which is the Dijkstra House, a member of Iconic Houses. Built as a summer house for the Dijkstra family in 1934, it is an outstanding example of the experimental modernist Dutch architecture of the time. The house was designed by architects Ben Merkelbach and Charles Karsten, pioneers in the Dutch modern movement. As it remained in the possession of the Dijkstra family until a few years ago, it is remarkably well preserved. In 2012, it was acquired by the Hendrick de Keyser association, and can now be enjoyed by everyone.